Nemophora augantha ( Meyrick, 1907 )

Kozlov, Mikhail V., 2023, Fairy moths of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) of India and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 5300 (1), pp. 1-81 : 20-21

Nemophora augantha ( Meyrick, 1907)

( Figs. 17, 18 , 79 , 117 , 148 )

Adela augantha: Meyrick 1907: 989‒990 .

Lectotype ♁ (here designated): India, Meghalaya, Khasi Hills (approx. 25 o 35′ N, 91 o 36′ E); labelled: 8 mm circle with violet border, print ‘Lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │ D. 1906’; 13 × 18 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ augantha │ Meyr. 2/11 │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 7 × 15 mm, black ink ‘Abdomen placed │ in capsule by │ K. R. T[uck]., V.1978 ’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ LECTOTYPE ♁│ Adela augantha │ Meyrick, 1907 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined]. Paralectotypes. 4 ♁, labelled: 8 mm circle with blue border, print ‘Para-│ Lecto-│type’; 5 × 10 mm, print + black ink ‘Khasi Hills, │ Assam. │ D. 1906’; 13 × 18 mm, black ink + print ‘ Nemotois │ augantha │ Meyr. x/11 │ E. Meyrick det. │ in Meyrick Coll.’ [x = 1, 3, 9, 10]; 6 × 13 mm, print ‘Meyrick Coll. │ B. M. 1938–290’; 8 × 20 mm, print ‘ PARALECTOTYPE ♁ │ Adela augantha │ Meyrick, 1907 │ M. Kozlov design. 2005’ (NHM) [examined].

Adela augantha: Clarke 1955: 59 ; Das & Singh 2022: 264 .

Nemotois augantha: Meyrick 1912a: 7 , fig. 5 (male, external appearance, in colour), 1912b: 9.

Nemophora augantha: Diakonoff 1951: 156 .

Other material. India. Meghalaya. 1 ♁ 1 ♀, Khasi Hills; 5 ♁ 1 ♀, ibid., v‒vi.1906; 16 ♁ 19 ♀, Cherrapunji , v‒vii.1894 (Doncaster) (all in NHM) . Vietnam. 1 ♁, Mauson Mountains , 2-3,000 ft, iv-v.[ca 1900] (Fruhstofer) ( NHM) .

Diagnosis. Nemophora augantha externally resembles N. assamensis ( Fig. 16 ), from which it differs by the absence of the W-shaped light mark at the forewing base, the presence of two large longitudinal silver-grey stripes in the basal third of the forewing and by not enlarged compound eyes of males.

Description. Male ( Fig. 17 ). FWL 7.2‒9.0 mm, WLR 0.30‒0.33. Vertex ochreous yellow; frons glossy, bronze to coppery bronze. PLB 0.7‒1.0 × vertical eye diameter (1.05‒1.15 × length of scape), bright yellow. Proboscis light brown, base with yellow scales. Eyes not enlarged; interocular index 0.65‒0.75. Antenna 3.2‒3.6 × FWL. Scape and base of flagellum dark brown to dark coppery bronze; scape ventrally with yellow spot; colour of flagellum changes gradually, and apical part of flagellum is light grey. Tegulae and thorax dark coppery brown. Forewing ( Fig. 79 ) yellow, with silver-grey stripes and spots bordered by dark brown scales. Basal part of forewing with two large silver-grey longitudinal stripes reaching 0.35 × FWL. Costal margin with two silver-grey spots, at 0.35 and 0.50 × FWL, and dorsal margin with one silver-grey spot at 0.45 × FWL; these spots reach 0.35‒0.50 × width of forewing. Dorsal spot is usually situated between costal spots, but in several specimens it is located opposite to distal spot at costa, and in one specimen it is located opposite to proximal costal spot. Internal border of apical part of forewing oblique, reaches costa at 0.70 and dorsum at 0.55 × FWL. Silver-grey band adjacent to this border is either complete or split into two nearly equal parts by narrow yellow stripe; apical part of forewing with 5‒7 radially arranged yellow stripes over dark brown background. Fringe dark brown to coppery bronze. Hindwing dark brown; costal area grey; fringe brown. Legs yellow; apices of tibiae and of all tarsomeres dorsally brown. Epiphysis at 0.50‒0.55, reaching or almost reaching apex of tibia. Abdomen brown dorsolaterally, yellow ventrally.

Female ( Fig. 18 ). FWL 6.4‒7.8 mm.Antenna 1.25‒1.35 × FWL, basal 0.5 densely covered with dark brown scales, which are semi-erect at about the level of the second costal silver-grey spot, forming characteristic short brush; distal part of flagellum light bronze.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 117 , 148 ). Tegumen dome-shaped, with small medial ridge. Socii circular, very small, 0.8 × diameter of phallus. Vinculum 2.4 × length of valva, V-shaped, with slightly convex lateral margins and nearly straight distal margin. Tips of valvae at about same level as tip of tegumen. Ventral margin of valva with small but distinct lobe next to fused part of valvae and with minute indentation at 0.45 × length of valva; dorsal valvar margin almost straight; tip of valva widely rounded. Valvae fused basally up to 0.25‒0.30 × total length; their internal margins distinct. Anellus 0.25 × length of valva. Transtilla with short medial process. Juxta 0.55 × length of phallus; arrow head moderately wide (WLR 0.5), with narrowly rounded tip and short pointed lateral arms. Phallus 1.10‒ 1.15 × length of vinculum, almost straight, with two well sclerotised carinae articulated ventrally at 0.7 × length of phallus (counting from its base); base of phallus funnel-shaped, tip narrowly rounded.

Distribution. India (Meghalaya), Vietnam.

Figures

FIGURES 17–24. Adults of Nemophora spp. 17, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907), male, lectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 18, ditto, female, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 19, N. chionites (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India; 20, ditto, female, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 21, N. cassiterites (Meyrick, 1907), male, paralectotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 22, ditto, female, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 23, N. griseella (Walsingham, 1880), male, from Shillong, Meghalaya, India; 24, ditto, female, holotype of Nemotois tricrates Meyrick, 1922, from Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, India. Scale: 2 mm.

FIGURES 69–92. Forewing pattern of Nemophora spp. 69, N. sporodesma (Meyrick, 1928); 70, N. phryganeella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 71, N. seraphias (Meyrick, 1907); 72, N. engraptes (Meyrick, 1907), typical form; 73, N. ornamentella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 74, N. fluorites (Meyrick, 1907); 75, N. manipurella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 76, N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023; 77, N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 78, N. assamensis Kozlov, 1997; 79, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907); 80, N. chionites (Meyrick, 1907); 81, N. cassiterites (Meyrick, 1907); 82, N. griseella (Walsingham, 1880); 83, N. ischnodesma (Meyrick, 1928); 84, N. asterodoxa (Meyrick, 1928); 85, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907); 86, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907); 87, N. atkinsonii (Moore, 1887); 88, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880); 89, N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922); 90, N. chrysoprasias (Meyrick, 1907); 91, N. indica (Walker, 1863); 92, N. ceylonella Kozlov, sp. nov. Scale 2 mm.

FIGURES 115–121. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 115, N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023; 116, N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov.; 117, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907); 118, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907); 119, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907); 120, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880); 121, N. neurias (Meyrick, 1922); a: genital complex, ventral view (right valva not shown); b: genital complex, lateral view; c: juxta; d: phallus, ventral view; e: phallus, lateral view. Scale: 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 148–151. Male genitalia of Nemophora spp. 148, N. augantha (Meyrick, 1907), from Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India, gen. prep. 31289 (NHM); 149, N. chalcomis (Meyrick, 1907), from Puttalam, Sri Lanka, gen. prep. 31285 (NHM); 150, N. phoenicites (Meyrick, 1907), from Pune, Maharashtra, India, gen. prep. 31294 (NHM); 151, N. gemmella (Walsingham, 1880), from Kugti, Himachal Pradesh, gen. prep. 31817 (NHM); a: genital complex, ventral view; b: phallus; c: apex of phallus. Scale: 0.2 mm (valid for a and b only).

FIGURES 9–16. Adults of Nemophora spp. 9, N. ornamentella Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 10, ditto, female, paratype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 11, N. fluorites (Meyrick, 1907), male, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 12, ditto, female, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 13, N. manipurella Kozlov, sp. nov., male, holotype, from Mao, Manipur, India; 14, N. mediseorsa Sun et Li, 2023, male, from Margherita, Assam, India; 15, N. tenuitella Kozlov, sp. nov., paratype, from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India; 16, N. assamensis Kozlov, 1997, male, holotype, from Margherita, Assam, India. Scale: 2 mm.